The GoTimeshare Travel Guide to Hand Luggage Restrictions

Flying abroad to visit friends and family at Christmas? Here’s what you can, and can’t, take in your hand luggage.

Christmas is one of the busiest times of the year at airports, so if you’re jetting off soon, here’s how to make sure you’re not taking anything in your hand luggage that’s banned on board.

Here are some pointers:

Cosmetics and toiletries

As we already know, liquids, creams or gels are only allowed in your cabin bag if they’re 100ml or less and placed separately in a clear plastic bag for the passage through the security conveyer belt. Oil falls in the same category, so if you’re bringing beauty or food oils, for example argan oil as a gift, make a note that unless it’s a small amount it needs to go in your checked in bag, in the hold.

Jams and honey

Something you may not know is that jam, chutney, honey and syrup count as liquids. So again, if you’re taking deli-style gits to relatives, they’ve got to be 100ml or under – or they belong in your big suitcase checked into the hold.

Corkscrews

You’ve just bought an expensive corkscrew for your wine connoisseur friend but if you’ve left it in your hand luggage it’s going to be confiscated. The same goes for Swiss Army knives, these have to go in your hold luggage!

Sports equipment

Things like cricket bats, darts and catapults all have to go in the hold and forget trying to take martial arts items on board, the same rules apply to these, too.

Tools and artist’s tools

Citrus fruits and vine plants

Here’s an interesting fact – although you can bring citrus and vine plants in to the UK from other EU countries, if something originated outside the EU, you can’t.

Electronic Cigarettes

Giving up smoking in 2016? If you’ve just bought some electric cigarettes you can bring them on to the flight with you but you can’t actually “smoke” them – they have to stay in your cabin luggage. Interestingly, you cannot take them in your check-in hold luggage.

Alcohol

Yes you can bring quite a lot of alcohol back into the UK after your winter wonderland Christmas overseas, but limits vary depending if you’re flying in from the EU or outside it. It’s got to go in your checked luggage and the amounts are 110 litres of beer, 90 litres of wine and 10 litres of spirits if you’re arriving from within the EU. If you’re landing from outside the EU, the limits are lower.